LeBron James has 'nothing but respect' for Kyrie Irving

CLEVELAND -- LeBron James was upset with Kyrie Irving's request to be traded from the Cavs, but now that it's happened James said he has "nothing but respect" for his former teammate.

In the aftermath of the trade of Irving to the Boston Celtics on Tuesday, James shared on Twitter another man's Tweet of an Irving jersey. The shirt is laying on the ground -- like James' No. 23 was when fans put it there to burn it after he left Cleveland in 2010 -- and the Tweet is captioned "OK Cavs fans, you know what to do."

That's the only way to be to the kid! Special talent/guy! Nothing but respect and what a ride it was our 3 years together Young Gode #Filayyhttps://t.co/wKYmYsmdgG

The man, his name is Tony Hartman, then placed a piece of paper on Irving's jersey thanking him.

"That's the only way to be to the kid," James Tweeted, responding to Hartman's Tweet. "Special talent/guy. Nothing but respect and what a ride it was our 3 years together."

James and Irving took the Cavs to three consecutive Finals and won the 2016 NBA championship.

Irving averaged a career-high 25.2 points last season. But after losing to the Warriors in five games, Irving told Cavs owner Dan Gilbert he'd like to be traded, in essence so he could get away from James' shadow and be the focal point of a team.

James was upset with Irving over the request and the relationship between them appeared beyond repair.